


Skin To Bone

by celestialcass (orphan_account)



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Brief homophobia, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Implied Sexual Content, Love Triangles, M/M, Post-The Blood of Olympus, Post-The Heroes of Olympus, heh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-18
Updated: 2015-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-31 03:09:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3962188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/celestialcass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jesse is a son of Ares with a bad history, as most demigods do. As a son of Ares, he has high expectations from his siblings but, unfortunately, can't meet them and ends up facing the repercussions of that through a bout of teasing and bullying from these siblings. When he (quite literally) runs into a certain son of Hades, things take an unexpected turn — for better or for worse is yet to be decided.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. I Believe I Can Fly

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In which Nico smiles a little more, things move a bit too quickly and Jesse really hates his siblings.

 

 

It all starts when Jesse gets locked in the stables.

He'd been just fine, if he was being honest. His day had been surprisingly uneventful and because he hid from his siblings all day (missing his classes all day, which Chiron would certainly not be happy about, but it was definitely worth it), he hadn't received any of their usual crap. Thinking, " _hey, maybe they'll quit it just for today_ ", he came back and decided, since it was his free hour by now, he'd ride a pegasus and just enjoy the next couple of hours before dinnertime. It was only natural that his luck would cease to exist. Jesse heard the door shut and then the sounds of kids snickering maniacally. He patted his pegasus, Hugo, on the snout before shutting the door of his individual cubicle. Then he headed to the stable doors to investigate. They were tightly shut, a prominent contrast to how far open Jesse remembered he'd left them. He tried to push them open but the doors didn't budge.

He puts the pieces together in present time, where Jesse is banging on the stable doors and calling out for help. It's useless, though, because the conch horn has already been blown, signalling that it was dinnertime. Very few campers would still be heading for the mess hall, so Jesse has to find his own escape route. With a sigh, Jesse steps away from the doors and scans the nearby stall for some kind of opening or hole. Nothing, nothing, and nothing. And then he sees it: a small, human-sized rectangular window in an empty stall. It's much closer to the ceiling than the ground, which makes him want to throw something.

_Maybe I can stand on a horse_ , he thinks before realizing how stupid it sounds. He's grateful he hadn't said it out loud or it'd be twice as embarrassing. He decides to just find items to stack up until he's able to reach the window, which he does. It takes ten minutes, give or take, but he eventually finds enough things to stack and is able to stick his head out of the window. Looking down, Jesse feels his stomach drop at the sight of just the cold, hard ground far below. He shuts his eyes and prays silently to the gods: _Please let there be something down there to break my fall_. He opens his eyes but sees no change in the landscape below. He hopes for the best as he lets himself fall to the ground. Out of nowhere, a body appears under him and he collides head-first with the unknown person.

"Oh, Styx!" they shout at the same time after the impact. Jesse quickly rolls off of the other person and jumps to his feet, frowning as he hears the other groan in pain.

"Holy Hera, I'm so so sorry. I really am. I didn't even see you."

The unidentified camper turns onto his back and slowly sits up, rubbing his eyes. Jesse easily recognizes him as Nico di Angelo, son of Hades.

"It's fine," Nico mumbles, accepting Jesse offered hand to help him up. Nico takes a step back, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his jeans, glancing up at the window Jesse had been birthed from. "So, um, why were you falling out of that window? Did you think you could fly or something?"

Jesse's cheeks darken and he casts his gaze to the ground. "I, uh, got locked in."

Nico nods absentmindedly. "Well, dinner is almost over. You should probably head over to the mess hall before the campfire."

"What about you?" Jesse asks, sensing the undertone of Nico's words.

Nico smiles. "I don't know if you noticed but I kind of just got tackled to the ground by a random guy; all I'm in the mood for is sleep."

Jesse covers his face with both his hands. "I'm _so_ sorry, Nico, seriously."

"Hey, it's okay. Don't worry about it." After a fleeting moment of silence, Nico speaks again. "I'll see you around, okay?"

Jesse replies with a simple "sure" before Nico heads off and disappears into the shadows.

 

 

The next day, Chiron receives an anonymous tip for who had locked Jesse in the stables, and Darren and Janice are put in charge of kitchen patrol after dinner this evening. Jesse has no idea who might have given the tip until Nico tackles him to the ground during their sword fighting lesson for no apparent reason.

"What the —?" Jesse says as Nico crawls off of him. "Nico?"

"Hello. Sorry about that. I just thought it was only fair."

"Oh... Okay..." Jesse says, pushing himself to his feet as Nico does the same. For the rest of the class, Nico remains mostly silent so Jesse does too. He doesn't really have many friends in this class. As the lesson continues, Jesse can't help but think about Nico's relationship with their swordplay instructor, the infamous Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Percy is dating Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, and has been for a long time, but by the way Percy and Nico interact, Jesse can tell that something happened between them.

Before the war with Gaea, rumors sprouted that Nico had a crush on Annabeth. When the Seven returns and all peace was restored after Gaea's defeat, word got around that Nico had had a crush on Percy — not Annabeth. Neither of them confirmed nor denied the latter; it was simply brushed under the carpet, left a mystery to the eyes of the curious. Watching the two of interact, Jesse can easily sense a sort of turmoil that was obviously left without resolution. If Nico does (or did, Jesse doesn't know) have a crush on Percy, Percy certainly knows. Jesse's mind wanders to Will Solace, Nico's best friend (unofficially acclaimed by anyone with eyes) as of the end of the war with Gaea. The two are extremely close and the chance of Nico liking Will were sky-high.

Jesse groans in his mind. _Who_ does _he have a crush on?_

_Why do you care?_ asks his subconscious. Jesse swats the thought away. Of course he cares. He cares who all of the people he knows have a crush on. Duh. _  
_

"Jesse, son of Ares, you're up."

His head snaps up at the sound of his name being called by Percy.

"What?" he asks, his cheeks reddening as snickers erupt behind him. His siblings.

"We're sparring. You're up against Darren."

Jesse nearly chokes on his own spit as he spots his older brother on the other side of the arena, unsheathing his sword.

"Um, can I pass?" he asks Percy hesitantly, fear icing his bloodstream. More laughs. Percy's eyebrows knit together.

"Sorry, dude, but you've been bailing a lot. I've seen you practice on a dummy. It's about time you really showed everyone."

Jesse battles with his conscious (which is urging him to run as far and as quickly as possible) before he relents, standing and finding a weapon to match his size. Many people like to compare Jesse to Frank Zhang, his brother on the Roman side. They are very similar — both tall, large and could beat up any mortal but neither will hurt a fly unless it's mutated and is attacking their friends. Jesse doesn't like to fight which, being a son of Ares, isn't an honorable thing in the eyes of his siblings. On top of that, he's gay, which has only resulted in more teasing from other campers.

"Any day now, queer," Darren says, apparently growing impatient with Jesse. He flinches at the insult as he draws his sword of choice. It's three feet long, excluding the hilt, and, like all demigod weapons, is made of Celestial bronze.

"Ready?" Percy asks.

"Been ready," Darren answers condescendingly with a roll of his eyes.

"I wasn't talking to you, Darren." Jesse feels Percy's gaze on him. "Are you ready?"

Trepidation steals moisture from Jesse's mouth, leaving his throat dry. Not trusting his voice, Jesse only nods in response. Percy utters a quick good luck to them both and then the game was on.

 

 

The entire thing was a blur from beginning to end. Jesse remembers easily blocking Darren's first swing, his first move. After that, nothing. He wakes up in the infirmary and Percy reminisces what happened, explaining that it had been a close fight and that he almost beat Darren. Then, Darren seemed to get mad. He pressed harder, making it more difficult for Jesse to block his swings. Darren insulted Jesse, distracting him, disarmed Jesse and then pinned him down before preceding to beat him to a pulp. Jesse didn't fight back, which is basically what landed him in the infirmary. He learns later, when Nico comes to visit, that he only slept for a few hours after the fight. Percy comes in again and almost leaves when he realizes Nico's the only other person with Jesse.

"Wait," Jesse calls, causing Percy to halt in the doorway. "Stay." Percy hesitates but eventually relents, taking a seat on the empty bed to Jesse's right. "Why do you guys do that?"

Both boys briefly appear shocked, like deer caught in headlights, but their facial expressions quickly return to normal. Percy opens his mouth to answer but Nico beats him to it.

"Do what?"

"I don't know — like, you guys avoid each other almost. You skirt around each other. I don't get it."

The two exchange glances.

"It's a long, complicated story," Nico says.

"Percy, how much longer am I stuck here?"

"Don't ask me — Poseidon's my dad, not Apollo."

"Fair enough. But anyway, I don't care how long or complicated the story might be. Just tell me."

Both boys sigh.

Jesse listens quietly and carefully, not interrupting at all despite the questions that form with each passing word. It's not as long as he expects it to be but definitely pretty lengthy and definitely complex. As it turns out, Jesse is right. Nico admitted to Percy that he had a crush on him a few days after Gaea's defeat. Things had mostly gone back to normal but some things just couldn't. It's towards the end when Nico was describing what happened in Split with the Roman god Cupid (which, apparently, Percy knew nothing about until now) that Jesse decides to play Dr. Phil.

"Percy, do you have anything to say?" he asks.

"I... I don't know. I just don't know. I didn't know that happened. I wish it hadn't been that way."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Nico mutters, his gaze on the ground.

"It does, though. You're my friend, Nico. I care about you just as much as Annabeth or Grover. Jesse's right. I can't just leave this like this. We have to do something."

Jesse watches intently, silently, wondering why a bowl of popcorn hasn't yet appeared in his hands. He's sure even Hermes would agree that the scene unfolding before him is better than anything on HephaestusTV, including Hercules Busts Heads. Nico doesn't reply to Percy either. His leaves his lips pursed, eyes glued to the off-white tiled floor. What happens next is completely unexpected. Jesse never would have guessed it. When he receives no response from Nico, Percy leans forward, completely stunning everyone in the room — including himself, and presses his lips to the corner of Nico's lips. Nico's eyes triple in size and he freezes on the spot, every muscle in his body tensing in that moment. His cheeks flush a deep crimson as Percy pulls away, following suit in the way Nico avoids his gaze. He then whispers something inaudible to Nico before making his way out of the infirmary.

"Say something," Nico says, his words so quiet Jesse isn't quite sure he hears them at first.

"I don't know what to say."

"Are you going to treat me different now?" Nico asks, his voice suddenly beginning to rise. He meets Jesse's gaze. "Do you think I'm weird? Do you hate me?" Then he began to get angry. "Do you think I'm disgusting?"

And he knows it's probably the most inappropriate time but Jesse bursts into hysterics at that very moment. Nico looks stunned as well as confused. Jesse doesn't blame him. It takes some time but Jesse eventually calms down and controls his laughter.

"Gods, Nico, I'm sorry for laughing," he says and can't hide the grin on his face. "Why would I hate you?"

"B-Because I'm —"

"Gay? You think I'd hate you because you're gay? Nico, please tell me you're joking." The son of Hades blinks. "Holy Hera, you're not? Nico, Gods, Nico. I'm gay too."

All Nico says is, "Oh."

Jesse can't stop smiling. He scoots over in his bed and motions for Nico to sit beside him. After a long moment of hesitation, Nico obliges; their shoulders touch, as there is only enough room for Nico's body and no space in between. Jesse can feel how tense Nico is.

"Hey, relax," Jesse says gently, placing his hand on Nico's knee. "I know that it's not fully accepted in the world that we live in but... think about it this way. Your dad's probably sucked tons of dick."

Nico's cheeks turn bright red. "I didn't need to know that!"

"Sorry. But hear me out: the Olympians have had affairs with mortals of the same sex just as often as they do with the opposite sex."

"I've heard." 

"So you have nothing to worry about! Your dad will always fight on your side and so will I," Jesse says with finality. Then, taking a leap of faith, he adds, "And if anyone gives you crap for that, I'll beat them to a pulp."

Nico remains quiet but a small, barely-there smile appears on his face. Jesse can feel his heart begin to pound when Nico sighs a little and then readjusts his position until he's comfortable, letting his head fall onto Jesse shoulder. Jesse carefully glances down at the son of Hades, startled to find that he is already fast asleep. Figuring things are finally going to work in his favor, he shifts slightly until he also is comfortable and easily falls asleep.

 


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which everything is too much, too soon.

 

Percy wakes them up in the morning, avoiding their gazes. At first, Jesse doesn't understand why, really, because Percy doesn't just let things get in the way of people's friendships. But then Annabeth comes running in and practically clings to Percy's side and Jesse can understand why the son of Poseidon feels so unnerved.

He cheated on Annabeth.

By technicality, of course, but cheated nonetheless. The son of Poseidon was faithful and loving and loyal and no doubt feeling crushing remorse for what he did. 

That _sucks_.

Will Solace comes in to check on Jesse and gives him the 'okay' to leave. So he does, and he follows Nico around the whole day. Nico doesn't seem to mind. He decides that later, he will confront Percy about last night and make sure that he tells her. Nico talks Jesse into ditching his classes for the day and sparring in the forest with him. It doesn't really take that much convincing. Jesse doesn't really want to be with anyone else and he only really has Arts and Crafts today. So he and Nico delve into the forest to find a good place to kick some monster butt. Except... that isn't what happens.

They come to a stop somewhere in the woods. Jesse hears the sound of moving water nearby — the creek, most likely — but other than that and the rustling of leaves. Nico sits down on a small rock. Jesse doesn't know what else to do so he follows suit, taking a seat on the ground by Nico's legs. There are many questions swirling in Jesse's mind — but he doesn't say a word. He just waits for Nico to break the silence.

And he does.

"I come here when I want to be alone..." Nico says so quietly that Jesse strains to hear him. "And that's actually pretty often, uh, if you didn't notice."

Jesse can't help but smile. He _has_ noticed; _everyone_ notices. When Nico seems to disappear, people always ask Will or Percy why he never really sticks around or opens himself up. They always give the same answer: " _That's just who he is._ " Jesse doesn't believe that for one second. There's got to be something more hiding under that brooding mask; something more than just Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, is being concealed by a brick wall of denial. Jesse wants to meet the real Nico di Angelo — Nico, the singer or Nico, the conservationist or Nico, the anime geek. Or all of the above. He wants to get to know Nico.

"Go on," Jesse urges when Nico doesn't say anything. "I'm listening."

"Uh... I..." Nico frowns, not sure where he's going with it. "It's really important to me. When I have my... moments... where I just want to be alone or I want to think, this is where I come. I... This is the last place Bianca and I spent time together."

Jesse recognizes the name. Bianca was Nico's sister. She died on a quest a few years ago. Nico made Percy promise to protect her and then blamed him for Bianca's death. Jesse can't imagine what it might have been like — to lose a sister when he was so young. He wishes he could comfort Nico, especially when he feels something wet on his shoulder and turns around to find Nico fighting back tears. He stares dead ahead, trying to conceal his emotion. His hands are clenched into fists, his knuckles white.

"Hey, hey," Jesse says gently, standing on his knees. When Jesse places his hand over Nico's fists, he whips his head around to look at him so fast, Jesse's unsure how he didn't get vertigo. But he doesn't move his hand. "It's okay. It's okay to cry."

Nico shakes his head. "I'm sorry. I don't know why it's still hard."

"It's okay," Jesse repeats. "Thank you for bringing me here. I'm really flattered that you were willing to show me this."

"I felt an urge," Nico explains. "You... You're not like everyone else. I can.. sense that... I don't know. You're different."

Jesse smiles teasingly. "I figure I should take that as a compliment, then?"

This elicits a small laugh from Nico, which causes Jesse's grin to widen. "Yeah."

A short silence passes between them before Jesse speaks up again, moving in front of Nico so he can face him directly, "Tell me about Bianca."

They remain in that same position as Nico describes his life before Camp Half-Blood, his life when he was happiest. Jesse listens with a patient smile as Nico tells him everything. He can't help noticing a twinkle in his eyes that he's never seen before appears and never leaves. As he talks his fists gradually unclench until they're almost flat against his knees. It isn't until Jesse points this out to himself that he realizes his fingers had subconsciously moved on their own so that he was holding his hand. A dark blush flooded his cheeks but he said nothing. Nico is visibly happier and more relaxed; he speaks animatedly and looks like he's itching to use his hands. That makes Jesse grin even wider; it made it even more obvious that Nico was Italian. Absentmindedly, Jesse begins to trace shapes on Nico's knuckles. The action, this time, doesn't go unnoticed. Nico stops talking completely, his eyes falling to their joined hands. Much to Jesse's surprise, Nico makes no move to pull away. A light, cotton candy-like tint finds its way to both boys' cheeks.

"Nobody gives you enough credit," Jesse murmurs, mostly to himself, watching Nico carefully. The small half-blood hesitantly meets his gaze, a silent question lingering in his obsidian orbs.

"Nobody sees how amazing of a person you are," Jesse continues, noting how Nico's cheeks visibly darken. "All they see is a son of Hades sulking in his brooding cloud of misery, and they're too closed-minded to try and see what's lurking beneath the surface."

"Like what?" Nico asks curiously.

"Um..." It takes a moment for Jesse to understand what he's asking. "Like how you habitually fidget with the hem of your t-shirt or how you absentmindedly tuck your hair behind your ears when you think no one is looking or how if you're not smiling or frowning, your lips are always in a pout."

The son of Hades bites his lip and casts his gaze downwards, almost as if he's attempting to hide the smile that makes its way to his face.

"Those are all just mannerisms though," he points out. He pauses. "What do _you_ see?"

Jesse makes a bold move, removing his hand from Nico's to use it to lift Nico's chin. He makes sure their eyes are locked before he speaks.

"I see a bright, incredible person that I'd love to get to know and spend time with if he'll let me in."

The smaller boy's head moves up and down in the most subtle motion, seeming as though he was almost _afraid_ to nod, afraid to open himself up to someone he barely knows. Jesse doesn't blame him. They hardly know each other, having only spoken for the first time ever just days ago. They were strangers, but now, Jesse knows as much as he imagines Bianca would have known. Possibly more, considering Nico's sexuality. The thought flatters Jesse. Nico di Angelo trusts a virtual stranger with his biggest secret. A blush rises to his cheeks when Nico's trembling free hand finds Jesse's and he intertwines their fingers.

"I don't know why I feel so strongly about this," Jesse says hesitantly, "but I just _know_ I need and want to be your friend..."

He doesn't dare say out loud the rest of his unfinished sentence: ... _and possibly more._ Nico hums quietly, his fingers' tremors beginning to dissipate.

"Maybe we should head back now," Nico says, nodding his head towards the west, where the sun was beginning to tuck itself to bed behind the tall trees blanketing themselves across the sky. Jesse doesn't want to leave, doesn't want to end this moment because he is unsure of what things will be like when they emerge from the woods. But Nico's right. It's getting late. If sunset is near, so was dinner, where everyone would be wondering where the two had disappeared off to.

"Yeah, sure," Jesse replies. Nico is standing before he finishes his response, though, and helps pull Jesse to his feet. They both seem to ignore their close proximity as the pair begin to walk back in the direction of camp. He and Nico remain holding hands until they reach the edge of the forest. They stop simultaneously. He gives Nico's hand a small squeeze before he releases and they start walking again. The conch horn is blown, signalling dinner, and campers begin to make their way to the dining pavilion. Turning ever-so-slightly to Nico, he asks, "Where do you want to go?"

Nico shrugs, seeming to not really care where he went. Jesse decides to go to the dining pavilion. He's hungry. Nico trails behind him. They follow alongside other campers, most of whom steer clear of the son of Hades. Jesse flashes Nico a smile, bidding him adieu, before starting to make his way to his table. Before Jesse can take one step, however, Nico reaches out and grabs his wrist. Jesse turns around, a single brow quirked in question.

"Stay?" he asks quietly, his eyes darting around as if he's worried someone heard. Jesse's smile is so wide it almost hurts as he turns fully and sits across from the son of Hades. Chiron clears his throat as he and Mr. D enter the dining pavilion, the entire place silencing. Jesse pays no mind to what they say, instead trying to look inconspicuous because he knows he could get in trouble for sitting with Nico. Purely by accident, as Chiron and Mr. D make their way to their tables after Chiron speaks to the campers, he and Jesse lock eyes. Jesse immediately tenses, not wanting to get in trouble, but the look in Chiron's eyes shows no malice whatsoever and instead, they twinkle with a knowing gleam. A blush creeps onto Jesse cheeks as he drops his gaze to the table. They all go through the motions of getting their food, making sacrifices for the gods and so on before they _finally_ settle and get to eat. Jesse glances up at Nico when the smaller boy's stomach lets loose an almost animalistic growl.

"Gods, Nico," Jesse muses, both his eyebrows raising. The son of Hades blushes.

"This is my first meal all day."

With a start, Jesse realizes that, since he followed Nico around all day, it was his first meal today as well.

"Oh," is all he says before the two promptly their faces with food. There is no room to talk when they're enjoying their food. And apparently, they look quite humorous because Jason Grace scoots in next to Nico (slightly irritating the boy because he's  _right next_ to him) and says with a chuckle, "Slow down, guys, or you'll end up regurgitating it before capture the flag."

Jesse snorts but doesn't respond until he's finished and then sits back, satisfied. Nico follows suit shortly after.

"So where did you two disappear off to all day?" Jason asks the pair, pure curiosity lining his gaze. Both boys blush instantly, especially since they simultaneously kick each other on accident in unison with Jason's inquiry.

"Just sparring out in the woods," Jesse replies with a shrug but his and Nico's rosy cheeks beg to differ. Lucky for them, Jason doesn't press it even though the shit-eating grin on his face says he knows it was more than just a little scrimmage.

"Are you coming to the campfire? Rumor has it, the Hades cabin's leading the sing-along tonight."

Nico's face pales. "Wh-What?"

"I'm only teasing. It's the Hermes cabin."

"That should be interesting," Jesse comments with a snort before thanking the nymph who grabs his and Nico's plates and goblets. He can feel Nico's gaze on him as he glances at the son of Jupiter, whose curious gaze darts between the two, analyzing them. He recognizes the action. His natural human curiosity is luring him to try and figure out what happened between them to cause Nico di Angelo — _Nico freaking di Angelo_ — to trust him, and within just a few days at that. Jesse couldn't blame Jason for being curious. He probably would be doing the same thing. It was just a curiosity that all humans were born with. Jesse kind of liked that curiosity too, given it was the thing that helped him stay rooted to the fact that he was still human. He wasn't perfect. He had flaws and emotions and he was curious.

"—and my voice will probably crack but..." The son of Hades cut his tale short, staring at Jesse with a curious — and slightly concerned — gaze, his head tilted ever-so-slightly, lips pouting so subtly that it almost isn't noticeable. He resembles a confused puppy. "Jesse, are you listening?"

Jesse's cheeks redden. "Sorry, kind of zoned out."

Nico's bottom lip juts out even more.

"That's cute," Jesse blurts without thinking. Or rather, he _was_ thinking. That was exactly what he was thinking. Why he blurted it out, Jesse has no clue but it certainly was neither the time nor the place for him to embarrass himself in front of the demigod he was kind of crushing on.

Wait.

_Was_ he crushing on Nico? Gods, of _course_ he was. Of. Freaking. Course.

He blamed Aphrodite for this.

"Is it?" Nico asks as sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, his cheeks darker than Jesse's ever seen them. _Or anyone, for that matter_ , he thinks. Jason stands about then, a pink tint adorning his own cheeks, as if he's now come to the realization of something... of _this,_ of what it is.

"I'll see you guys later. Hopefully, I'll have you both as an ally during the game."

Jason steps away from the table and heads over in the direction of the forest, where the rest of the campers are headed. The dining pavilion clears fairly quickly except for Nico, Jesse and, much to Nico's dismay, a certain son of Poseidon who seems to be making his way to the two. Nico fixates his gaze on Jesse's hands, which are flat, palms face-down against the table. Jesse glances at Nico worriedly, his brows furrowing in concern. When Percy approaches their table, he notices immediately when Nico's expression becomes guarded.

"Nico?" Percy speaks quietly. Nico doesn't respond. "Can... can we talk?"

Confused, he glances up at the older boy. "About what?"

Percy purses his lips. "I don't know. You. Me. Us."

"Us?"

"Yes, us."

Jesse watches carefully, ready to jump in when — _if_ — Nico gives the say-so. He shoots Nico a questioning glance, an attempt to ask are you okay with this? using his eyes. From the way Nico looks at him and nods, it works.

"Are you sure?" he asks aloud. Nico nods again and they both stand. Hoping he'll understand what he's referencing, he says, "I'll wait for you at the spot, alright? When you two are done, meet me there, okay?"

Nico nods. "You remember how to get there?"

Jesse shrugs, feeling an odd sense of pride when he catches Percy looking extremely confused. "I'll find my way. If I get lost, come find me."

Nico blushes, nodding again before they part ways. He and the son of the sea god stand alone.

 

 

"The spot?" Percy inquires curiously as they begin to walk in the direction of the beach. Nico waves off the question with a simple nod. Percy purses his lips, glancing over his shoulder with furrowed brows. 

"So, um, what did you want to talk about, exactly? I mean, you already told me but... more specific?"

"I — uh... Well, basically..." Percy stutters, seemingly unable to form coherent sentences.

"Spit it out, Jackson," Nico says, shoving his hands in his pockets. Percy takes a deep breath, rubbing the palms of his hands against the front of his jeans. His hands are trembling slightly. Nico almost laughs as he watches him. Was the son of Poseidon... nervous? The thought would've made him laugh if he wasn't in the same state.

"We... kissed."

"No kidding," Nico says, trying to sound more confident than he is but failing miserably, his cheeks aflame. His gaze drops but he tries for a joke, trying to keep the conversation light. He could do without drama in his life. "And technically, you kissed me."

And that was true. It was Percy who had kissed Nico. Nico was too overcome with shock to even respond and by the time he'd been drawn from the surprise that came with being kissed by the person he'd been in love with since the tender age of ten, Percy was already making his way out of the room. He glances up just in time to see the son of Poseidon grimace, his arm reaching up to scratch the back of his neck awkwardly. He looks like he's about to say something but Nico's mouth moves before he can stop it.

"Why did you do it?" he blurts, surprising himself as much as Percy.

"I already told you. I want to show you that I do care about you... I just didn't know how." Nico goes to respond but Percy holds a hand up, stopping him short. "Hear me out first, Nico. I... I don't know how I feel about you. Last night, when we were talking, I realized that you are important in my life. I care about you and what happens to you, and I want to make sure you're safe. When you told me you liked me, I was confused. I thought you hated me. I thought you'd only been tolerating me on that quest because other lives were at stake. Then it turns out you liked me... a lot. I was even more confused. And when I kissed you... Well, I knew what I was doing when I did it. But now I'm confused because I felt... content... when I kissed you. It felt right. And now, I'm confused. I don't know how I feel but I know I can't lose you."

As Percy continued, Nico's heart began to hammer in his chest, and now, as Percy speaks his final words, Nico feels like he's going to pass out. The person he is—was — in love with just said that kissing him felt right. What's that supposed to mean? Nico wipes his now clammy palms on the front of his jeans, looking everywhere but Percy, who is staring at him with a weary look swimming in his eyes.

"You already did," Nico says quietly, trying to blink tears back. And it's true. Percy did lose that opportunity to make Nico his when he found out about Nico's crush on him and did nothing to see if Nico could be the person for him. Percy seemed to be perfectly content with having Annabeth at his side and Nico learned to live with that, learned to bottle his emotions up just as he'd always done and simply move on. He's good at it too, good at pretending not to care. Until Percy decided to kiss him, of course. It was frustrating. Nico was perfectly fine. Then Percy kissed him and all the emotions and affection he'd felt since he was ten came rushing back, overwhelming him. He's grateful Jesse was there at the time to distract him from the topic. Had it not been for him, Nico is certain he would not be as calm as he is now.

But he sees Percy's shoulders sag from his peripheral vision and almost breaks. As much as he hates to admit it, Nico still isn't fully over Percy. His feelings are still as intense and he doesn't know how to change that. He wants to because Percy is dating Annabeth but... but it's not like he can help it. He can't control it but gods, he wishes he could.

"I-I know. And I know it's not fair to you but I need you to know that there's something there. I don't know what it is but something is there that keeps telling me that I need you. I don't want to lead you on. But... if you're willing, could I try something?"

Nico's head snaps up as he stares up at the son of Poseidon skeptically. Try something? What did he mean by that? Curious, Nico gives in to his heart's desire and nods. He expects the next thing as much as he did last night: not at all — but there's no denying the explosion of emotions in his chest when Percy's lips meet his own. He's so stunned that he stays completely immobile as Percy's lips move against his. And this kiss is nothing like the one he received last night. Last night's kiss was a chaste, barely-there kiss that pretty much didn't even touch his lips — just the corner of them. This kiss is full-contact and Percy appears to be putting his all in it. And that stuns Nico even more. Nico's unresponsiveness leaves a bad impression, however, because Percy begins to pull away. Nico, not wanting the moment to end, decides then to show his true colors. Having never kissed anyone before, Nico has no clue what he is doing; he simply follows the son of Poseidon's example. Boldly, he grabs a fistful of Percy's shirt and pulls him closer. The older of the two makes a surprised sound in the back of his throat but doesn't pull away. In fact, his hands find their way up and cups Nico's cheeks, causing heat to rush to them. Nico doesn't loosen his grip on Percy's shirt until he begins to need air. He doesn't want to, but he pulls away first, both of them breathing heavily.

"Holy Styx," Percy says under his breath, his gaze locking with the son of Hades'. Nico would say the same thing if his breath hadn't been taken away — both literally and figuratively. He tears his eyes away from Percy's, wanting badly to sit down. His knees feel weak; his legs have turned into noodles. His hands are shaky and he feels as if he might pass out. He doesn't know whether to feel elated — because, gods, Percy freaking Jackson just _kissed_ him! — or terrified. Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon and Nico's long-time crush, kissed him, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades. He's his _first_ _kiss_! Percy looks like he wants to say something but Nico beats him to it, surprising himself that he can even gather up the courage to speak at a time like this.

"So?" he asks, a blush rising to his cheeks. Percy meets his gaze yet again and his cheeks only darken. Percy looks relatively calm and collected, and as Nico studies him, he finds all the things that Nico loves about him. The small smile playing at his lips; the healthy, pink tinge covering his cheeks' sun-kissed skin; his sea green eyes glittering with fascination and amusement.

"What?" Percy asks, his head ever-so-slightly cocking to the side in question. _Holy Hera, he's a freaking puppy_ , Nico thinks.

"Did you — uh, I mean, what'd you..." Nico cuts himself short, not sure what exactly he wants to ask. Did you like it? No, he can't ask that. Who asks that? What did you get out of it? No. Percy didn't read a poem that he was writing an essay on. How do you feel? Okay, maybe, but Nico's too nervous. Thankfully, Percy seems to understand that Nico's mind is jumbled and takes action himself.

"I thought this would help me figure out what I felt about you," Percy says slowly, as if picking his words carefully. "But I'm only more confused. I... That kiss was amazing, Nico, and I care about you, but I also care about Annabeth. I talked to Annabeth today, told her about everything —  _everything_ , even this. I told her I wanted to test the waters and, at first, she refused but then she gave in. I thought this would confirm that I don't feel anything for you but brotherly affection but..."

Percy averts his gaze as he trails off, growing quiet. Nico begins to wonder whether he's done talking until the son of Poseidon speaks up again.

"But now, I'm not so sure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyy. I updated. Woo. Chapter 3 will probably take longer for me to update because I have a lot to do this week... So yeah. Bear with me, dearest readers.
> 
> ALSO, if you notice any typos, please let me know. I've proofread dozens of times but have yet to discover all the errors. And I'm in desperate need of a beta. So if you're interested, let me know(: x

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know what you think.(: x


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